A new bi-monthly magazine, World News Publishing Focus, has just been launched by the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) to provide members and other readers with a professional international publication focused on the industry’s critical issues.

The first issue of the magazine, out this week, features an interview with the chief executive of Axel Springer, Mathias Döpfner, a business forecast for 2013 from leading media and financial analysts, an examination of press regulation in the digital age, and much more.

“WAN-IFRA is uniquely placed to provide an international perspective to news publishing, a business where the tools, strategies and models are undergoing constant change,” said Vincent Peyrègne, CEO of WAN-IFRA. “We very often find that issues arising in one market have already been confronted elsewhere. We believe the magazine will become a valuable forum for our global membership to find new ideas and strategies.”

World News Publishing Focus is published every other month in large format – nearly A3 – in English and German language editions. It is written for senior news executives and suppliers to the industry and will initially be distributed to 3,500 subscribers in more than 100 countries. An additional 1,500 copies will be distributed at WAN-IFRA events. The ePaper edition is read by some 8,000 WAN-IFRA members.

- INTERVIEW: Axel Springer Chief Executive Mathias Döpfner discusses the company's pioneering digital strategies, including the decision to introduce paywalls for its national daily title Die Welt and iconic tabloid title BILD.

- BUSINESS FORECAST 2013: Leading media and financial analysts share their forecasts for the news media industry worldwide, and give insights into their respective region's most pressing issues.

- REGULATION: The much-anticipated report from Lord Justice Leveson into the practices and ethics of the British press was finally released in late November 2012, and with it the process of establishing a new regulatory system for the British press began. But in the digital age, when anyone can produce journalism and the Internet blurs geographical boundaries, what is the true relevance of press regulation?

- WORLD EDITORS FORUM: Some of the most futuristic newsroom minds in the world recently gathered in the US to debate how tomorrow's newsrooms will function. One thing is absolutely clear: today, convergence and the change process that accompanies it continue to develop and evolve -- at varying speeds.

- PRESS FREEDOM: Khaled Ateea, editor-in-chief of Benghazi’s Roaya newspaper, joined WAN-IFRA’s Media Professionals Programme at the beginning of 2012 and has spent a year developing the business side of his publication. With some insightful advice and training from regional and international experts, Roaya is now poised to make the transition from a volunteer organisation to a fully-fledged media business.

World News Publishing Focus succeeds the WAN-IFRA Magazine, which the organisation had published since 2009. Like its predecessor, World News Publishing Focus has a uniquely international perspective on the industry and an international readership. Its core mission is to present the best new ideas for people in news publishing worldwide.

WAN-IFRA also publishes Asian Newspaper Focus, which for 16 years has led the way for coverage of Asia’s booming newspaper industry. More information about ANF can be found at http://www.wan-ifra.org/anf

WAN-IFRA, based in Paris, France, and Darmstadt, Germany, with subsidiaries in Singapore, India,and France, is the global organisation of the world’s newspapers and news publishers. It represents more than 18,000 publications, 15,000 online sites and over 3,000 companies in more than 120 countries. Its core mission is to defend and promote press freedom, quality journalism and editorial integrity and the development of prosperous businesses.